NSCN-K triggers blast in Manipur, no casualty

Suspected militants of Naga rebel outfit NSCN-K triggered a blast at Moreh along the India-Myanmar border in Manipur's Chandel district on Wednesday evening, but there was no casualty, police said.

The blast took place around 6.30 p.m.

"The place is close to a camp of Manipur Police," a police officer said, adding that they were yet to ascertain whether the blast was caused by an Improvised Eexplosive Device (IED) or a grenade.

The explosion took place amid intensified operations by the security forces against militants, who had ambushed an Indian Army convoy at Chandel on June 4 and killed 18 soldiers and injured 11 others.

The Indian Army said it launched a massive military operation inside Myanmar territory on Tuesday and inflicted heavy casualty on the militant outfit besides destroying its camps.

However, the NSCN-K in a statement on Wednesday rubbished the Indian Army's claim of a cross-border operation and termed it a conspiracy at the highest political-military-intelligence level of the Indian government to coerce Myanmar to act against the outfit.

"... the effort of the government of India to garner popular public opinion to justify the demonic and inhuman Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is the reason behind all these desperate bogus operation which never happened," the statement said.